Chapter 12: Integration. 

(A/N: I'm switching POV as I feel more comfortable writing in this way than the 3rd POV)

We followed the young man in silence, the weight of the elders' stares still pressing against my back.

I could feel something inside me. It wasn't just the atmosphere of this village or the strange energy in the Obi. It was deeper, something personal. 

I didn't know what it was but surely, I would find out soon.

The air grew thicker as we moved past the central clearing. More totems lined the path, carved with Nsibidi symbols that seemed to pulse the longer I stared at them. 

The scent of burning herbs mixed with damp earth, creating an aroma that made my head feel strangely light.

Ekene and Nnamdi walked just behind me, their steps careful. Even they, who never took anything seriously, were affected by this place. 

Ikenna, as always, remained unreadable, but I could tell he was processing every detail, filing them away in that sharp mind of his.

"Where are we going exactly?" I asked, my voice breaking the quiet.

The young man didn't turn around. "To the shrine. You will see for yourself."

Yeah, I knew we were going to the shrine, but…Ugh. I guess I asked the wrong question. 

We passed under a low archway made of wood and vines, and suddenly, the village seemed to fall away behind us.

The shrine was set apart from the rest of Umuezike, nestled within a dense grove of trees. A large stone stood at its entrance, smooth from years of exposure, with deep Nsibidi markings carved into its surface. The trees surrounding it were thick, their branches twisting in ways that made them look more like grasping hands than regular foliage.

The moment I stepped past the stone, my chest tightened. A familiar feeling, like pressure building behind my eyes and pushing against my thoughts.

[System Notification: Spiritual Resonance Detected.]

I froze.

[Spirit Synchronization: 89%]

What synchronization?

When I first woke up in this world, in this body, I had refused to acknowledge what it meant. 

The memories of Chijioke—my memories—felt like a dream, something distant, like a story I had once read but could no longer fully grasp.

I felt I was Obinna, yet I also felt I was Chijioke. 

Which was I? That was the question I'd struggled with but chose to ignore. 

But now…

Something was changing.

The young man led us to a small clearing in front of the shrine, where a single mat was laid out. "Sit," he said.

I hesitated but obeyed. The others followed, though I could tell Ekene was barely keeping himself from asking questions.

The young man took a step back, his expression unreadable. "Close your eyes," he instructed. "Listen."

I sighed but did as he said.

At first, there was nothing. Just the usual sounds of the forest—the rustling leaves, the distant chirp of birds.

Then—

A whisper.

Faint. Almost like the wind.

But it wasn't the wind.

It was words.

I couldn't understand them, but they were there, just beyond my reach.

[Spirit Synchronization: 95%]

The pressure in my head grew stronger. My hands trembled slightly.

"Focus," the young man's voice came through, steady and calm. "Let go of your thoughts."

Let go?

I didn't even know what that meant.

But before I could resist, the world around me blurred.

And suddenly, I wasn't in Umuezike anymore.

I was standing in the middle of a busy street.

But not in Aku.

This was… Enugu.(Capital city of Enugu State.)

The sounds of honking cars, the shouts of street vendors, the distant blaring of music from a danfo.

I looked down at myself.

I was wearing jeans. A T-shirt. A wristwatch.

I touched my chest, my heartbeat was rapid.

Was I dreaming all along?

But before that thought could settle—

[Spirit Synchronization: 100%]

The notification flashed before me, but this time, it wasn't just text.

I felt it.

A shift, no, rather… A click.

Like something that had always been broken was finally fitting into place.

Memories rushed in, clear, sharp, undeniable.

The life I had before. The moment I had opened my eyes in this world. The confusion, the act, the desperate attempt to pretend that Obinna was just some role I had to play.

But I wasn't playing a role.

I was Obinna.

And also Chijioke. 

Not just some Nigerian who had fallen into a different world.

I was both.

The realization hit me like a punch to the chest.

And then—

I was back.

I gasped, my eyes snapping open.

The shrine. The mat. The young man watching me. Ekene, Nnamdi, and Ikenna staring, concern on their faces.

But everything was different.

I felt different.

For the first time since arriving in this world, my thoughts weren't split. The haze, the feeling of being caught between two identities, was gone.

I exhaled, pressing a hand to my forehead.

I was here now.

Fully.

The system's text appeared again, but this time, there was something new.

[Integration Complete.]

[New System Functions Unlocked.]

[Awakened Trait: Dual Consciousness – Gain heightened spiritual perception and enhanced mental clarity. Your thoughts are no longer fragmented. Your understanding of Nsibidi has increased.]

I blinked.

I could understand the carvings now. The totems. The markings on the shrine.

It was like they had always been obvious, and I had just been looking at them wrong before.

I looked up, and the young man was watching me closely. "You have seen," he said.

I nodded slowly.

Yes. I had seen.

I had no idea what he was talking about, but one thing I know in Spirituality, it was that you never do. You can only make your own conjunctions. 

…

The walk back to the village was silent.

The others kept stealing glances at me, but I didn't know how to explain what had happened.

I wasn't sure I wanted to.

The system was still there, but it felt… quieter.

We returned to the Obi where the elders were waiting. Their gazes weren't just seeing me, they appeared to be reading me, peeling apart the layers of my being with every flicker in their gaze.

The eldest among them tapped his staff against the ground, the hollow thud echoing through the Obi.

"You left this Obi incomplete," he said, voice like dry leaves rustling in the wind. "Now, you return… whole."

A murmur passed through the elders, some nodding in agreement.

Another elder, a wiry man with white Nsibidi markings painted across his forehead, leaned forward. "Before, your spirit was like a river split into two. It flowed in different directions, never settling, never still. Now…" His gaze flickered, assessing. "Now, the waters have merged. You are as you should be."

His words weren't a question. They were a statement.

I met his gaze. "A man cannot build a house on broken ground. He must first make the earth firm beneath him."

A few elders chuckled at that.

One of the younger ones, though still old enough to be my grandfather, clicked his tongue. "You were a puzzle when you first stepped into this Obi, Obinna of Ndiagbo." His eyes narrowed. "Even now, you remain an enigma."

He studied me, as if peeling away my skin to see what lay beneath. "A man should have one spirit, not two. And yet, you were neither one nor two." He tapped his finger against the wooden armrest of his chair. "How?"

I inhaled slowly. "If a pot is cracked and mended, is it the same pot, or is it something new?"

The eldest elder let out a deep chuckle. "He speaks well."

The younger one scoffed. "Speaking well does not build trust."

"No," I agreed. "Actions do."

The murmurs grew louder. The elder who had questioned me tilted his head slightly, then nodded. "So you do not deny it. You were unwhole. And now?"

"Now, I am as I should be."

The silence stretched for a while, then, the eldest elder spoke again.

"There were doubts about you."

"There always are," I said simply. "That's what life is about."

He smiled, a faint, ghostly thing. "Indeed. But these doubts were not merely the doubts of men." He gestured with his staff, pointing towards the earth. "The land has been watching you. The spirits, too. And they saw something unfinished in you."

Another elder hummed. "That was why they withheld their blessing."

I stiffened slightly, but only for a moment. 

So that was it. 

The Akaibute elders had never truly considered an alliance before now, not because they did not see the benefits, but because they were waiting.

Waiting for the spirits to decide.

"Then tell me," I said, voice steady, "what do the spirits see now?"

A pause. Then, the eldest elder leaned forward.

"They no longer turn away."

There was another shift in the air as the elders murmured in exchange between themselves.

I didn't miss what had just happened.

This was their verdict.

The Akaibute were traditionalists, deeply tied to the old ways. They would not make a decision purely from logic or profit. They needed the spiritual confirmation.

And now, they had it.

One of the elders, an imposing man with streaks of white in his beard, leaned forward. "You came here seeking an alliance."

"I did." I replied, not bothered as to how they even knew. They spoke to the spirits after all. 

His gaze was heavy, measuring. "Now that you stand whole, what do you offer?"

I met his stare without hesitation. "A future."

Silence.

Then, I continued. "The world is changing. You feel it. You see it. The balance of power is shifting, not just in Aku, but beyond. Those who remain still will be swept away."

I let my words settle before continuing. "I offer Akaibute a place in what comes next. Not as those who follow, but as those who lead."

The elders exchanged glances.

The eldest one tapped his staff against the ground again. Thud.

"Sit, Obinna of Ndiagbo."

I did.

"The council will speak."